New York Hotels and Harvest Moons

It was late before we left for New York. I worked all day and came home to throw our bags together and go. Tara was not happy with the delay, half hoping to get to her 10:00 PM rehearsal and half hoping to miss it. The drive was fast and we arrived in three hours. I was entranced by the orange full moon low on the horizon and bigger that usual. I thought orange moons were 'harvest moons' and happened in the autumn. I checked on Wikipedia and harvest moons do in fact happen in the autumn, but moons close to the earth look bigger than full moods high in the sky and they are often orange in colour. The moon was in front of me for much of the ride, looming above the Delaware Bridge, peeking between the vegetation along the side of the 95, hiding and then reappearing behind buildings. I kept looking for it, marveling, wondering what was going on with the moon and why it was so big and luminous.

Maya and her friend Belina watched a movie for the early part of the drive and I was thankful that they slept for most of the way. I looked back at Belina as we drove through Times Square, and her eyes were huge and I could feel her excitement. Maya has come so often that she does not stare in awe anymore, it is just too familiar for her. She became much more excited when she organized herself in our hotel room. What a wonderful place. I chose AKA Times Square for our stay, partly because it has a full kitchen and that is useful for the children; I can cook and keep snacks in the fridge for them and I will not be compelled to go out for every meal. Maya always likes to establish herself in her hotel room. She empties her suitcase and places her clothes in the drawers and lines up her treasures in her space. She claims her corner of the room and her side of the bed and tells me that she will not tolerate a mess in this marvelous place. I never stay in the same place when I come to New York, so I have chosen hotels all over town, east and west, uptown and downtown. I know this city well, but am always discovering and rediscovering and learning more about the city. The hotel room is never just a place to sleep, it is always part of the adventure, a window into the life of the city, it is home for a day or two.

This weekend will be a quiet and peaceful weekend. I want Maya to manage her stress and prepare well for her concert. She had a tough practice this morning with her accompanist and was crying and disintegrating when I came to check on her. I have less than two days to help her pull herself together. I am hoping that with a limited agenda except for fun and relaxation she will recover and feel good about her performance. I thought I was far more anxious than Maya about this concert, but she puts alot of pressure on herself as well, and I am afraid that my anxiety infects her, and I must manage myself. When I put her to bed at night she explains that she feels the feelings of others I tell her that is a good thing but she explains that it interferes with her enjoyment sometimes and does not always work for her. I am curious that my nine year old is describing empathy, and I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing for a child.